Jobs That Won't Get Outsourced

Real estate

Your house is here, the office building you work in is here, the land you want to buy is here, and the people that make real estate happen are here. Realtor and the myriad of other jobs that encompass the real estate industry — everything from attorneys, mortgage officers, appraisers, insurance agents, and even decorators — are possible career options that likely won’t be outsourced. Additionally, real estate is a highly regulated industry in the U.S. and many jobs require licenses that must be obtained and maintained. It is, therefore, difficult from a legal standpoint to outsource real estate jobs. Financial services, another highly regulated industry and one that also has the keep-it-at-home mentality, offers similar protection from outsourcing.

Education

The population of our country is growing and the enrollment rate at higher-education institutions is expected to grow at an even faster clip in the years to come. This means that there will be a demand for jobs in education and despite technological advances that enable online learning and courses, the vast majority of education will remain at brick-and-mortar facilities.

Even if you feel that you are not cut out to be a classroom teacher or a university professor, the trail of jobs within education does not stop there. Universities, in particular, operate as self-sustaining businesses with full finance, food service, administration, leadership, and security positions. Grade schools are also seeing an increase in jobs that are not typically thought to be related to teaching, such as guidance counselors, resource officers, speech pathologists, and even behavioral therapists.

You can even think beyond traditional schooling and turn to such things as working for a professional training or consulting firm or a continuing education firm. As long as people in this country seek education, whether it’s for children or professionals seeking to augment their career path with new skills, there will be a need for trained educators and supporting personnel — none of which can be easily outsourced.

Public service

The military may also be an interesting option since there are countless jobs that run the machine, and most are not directly combat related. The jobs available in the military are as varied as in the civilian sector and because the military operates much like a business you can expect to find work in communications, management, food service, administration, personal care, therapy, technology and computers, finance, and much more.

USMilitary.com is a great resource that provides dozens of examples of job openings among the military branches along with the civilian equivalent of the job. Similar capacities, though not as diverse, are available through local public service organizations, such as the police or fire departments. The facts remain that you cannot fight a fire or serve and protect from overseas, and you have to be a citizen to serve in the military. Add those things together, and these jobs are certainly outsource proof.

outsource outcry

Of course, the best vaccine you can have against losing your job to outsourcing is to ensure you continue to be valuable to your organization. If you continue to build on the knowledge and skills that make you integral to the success of your organization, it will be difficult to replace you — especially from overseas. You may also want to consider the most outsource-proof job of all — running your own business. Certainly, there are risks involved with that approach, but it will be totally up to you whether or not to outsource yourself. If none of the above interest you, you can always strive to become an elected official — I doubt the U.S. will outsource its government anytime soon.